Shower enclosure



Jan. 14, 1964 s. J. BRUNO y 3,117,657

SHOWER ENCLOSURE Filed March 17. 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORsALvA-roRE BR-UNO BY fm ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1964 s. J. BRUNO SHOWERENcLosuRE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 17. 1960 INVENTOR SALVATORE J.BRuNo III'II ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1964 s. J. BRuNo sHom-:R ENcLosURE FiledMarch 17. 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 .Hummm SAL VATN/NJFJZU NO BY m ATTO R NEYS United States Patent O 3,117,657 SHOv all ENCLQSURE Salvatore Il.Bruno, Roslyn Heights, Nfl., assigner to l. E. Wyatt Manuiact ring So.,line., Brooklyn, N Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. l7, 1960,Ser. No. 15,730 Claims. (Cl. 189-45) This invention relates generally toshower enclosures, and more particularly is directed to an improvedconstruction for sealing such enclosures against uid leakage in both thesliding glass door and the hinged door types of compartment and bathtubshower enclosures.

Various types of sealing arrangements have been suggested which arespeciically adapted to either sliding panel constructions such aswindows and the like or to hinged panel constructions such asconventional doors. Applicant has devised a novel concept of sealingwhich is adapted for both types of shower enclosures, and which, due toits avoidance of the conventional complicated labyrinth arrangement, isinexpensive to manufacture and install while still providing a highlysatisfactory lluid seal.

One of the obiects of this invention is to provide a shower enclosurewhich is completely sealed against fluid leakage when the door means isin closed position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a shower enclosure inwhich the same size doors can be used with front openings of varyingwidths.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fluid tight showerenclosure in which the sealing means extends only in a directiontransverse to the piane of the doors.

According to one aspect of the invention, the door assen-bly for closingthe iront of the shower enclosure inc` des a frame extending around allof the enclosure which has an inwardly directed iiange thereon. The huidtight shower door means lits within the frame and carries l'lexiblesealing means which extend from the door means only in a directiontransverse to the plane of the ange. The sealing means extends aroundthe entire door means and is located so as to engage the `Flange meansabout its entire length when the door means is in closed position.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the inventionwill be apparent in the following detailed description of illustrativeembodiments which is to be read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings forming a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. l is an elevational view of a sliding door shower enclosureembodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 2 2of FlG'. l;

FlG. 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken along the line 3 5of l;

FlG. 4 is an elevational view of a hinged door shower enclosureembodying the present invention;

PEG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along lthe line 5 5of FlG. 4;

PEG. 6 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken along the line 5 6of lilG. 4; and

FG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the sealing member utilized inthe present invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIGS. l to 3,inclusive, thereof, where the present invention is shown applied to ashower enclosure for a bathtub shower of the sliding door type. Theshower enclosure includes a pair of glass paneled doors l@ and ll whichare siidably mounted and adapted to serve as an openable closure orshield for the bathtub shower. ln this type of shower, the bathtub l2 ispermanently enclosed along one longitudinal side and at both of theopposite ends by vertically extending walls i3, ld and l5. Although thethree walls i3, 14 and l5 are shown as structural walls with the bathtubl2 fitting into the alcove formed thereby, it is to be understood that,in those installations having the bathtub installed in a corner, one orthe other of the end walls la and l5 may be formed by a fixed, glasspaneled partition as a part of the shower enclosure. In either case, thetub serves as a receptacle for the waste shower water and the upstandingwalls i3, 14 and l5' deiine a compartment or enclosure that is open atthe outer longitudinal side ot the tub.

This open side of the shower compartment is adapted to be closed by thedoors lil and 11 which, for this purpose, are guided, at their upper andlower edges, by guide tracks lo and i7, respectively. The lower guidetrack 17' is mounted on, and extends along, the outer longitudinal edgeor rim of the tub l2, while the upper guide track lo extends parallel tothe lower track and is spaced vertically from the latter by end members18 and 19 which are suitably secured to the walls le and l5. Guidetracks l5 and i7 and end members 1S and 19 combine to form an outerframe for the doors 1li and ll.

Each of the doors lll and ll is provided with a rectangular frame 23, ofextruded metal or the like, within which is iitted a panel 2l of glassor any other suitable, preferably transparent or translucent material.The doors are each of a width slightly exceedinc one hair the width ofthe opening trained by the tracks le and 17 and the members l5 l? sothat they can be extended across the Outer frame and overlap slightly atthe center. The inner and outer edges of guide tracks le and 17 and endtrarne members liti and i9 combine with the inner edges of the framesZtl to form an inwardly directed flange about tde entire showerenclosure front opening.

The doors lil and l move in parallel vertical planes that are oiisetrelative to each other and delined by the guide tracks 'i6 and i7. Asseen in FIG. 2, the upper guide tra-cit le has a laterally extending topwall 22, side walls 23 and Z4:- depeuding from the Opposite longitudinaledges of top wall, and a central wall or partition 25 also dependingfrom the top wall and spaced equally from the side walls so that twodownwardly opening channels or grooves Z6 and 27 are deiined between thedepending walls to receive the upper edge portions of the doors il) andll, respectively. if desired, and particularly in those installationswhere the upper guide traclt lo is mounted against the ceiling or otherpermanent structure of the bathroom, the upper track le may furtherinclude outwardly flaring mounting wings Z8 and 29 extending upwardlyfrom the opposite edges of top wall 22 and adapted to abut, at theiredges, against the ceiling to deine a space 3G between the wings thatcan receive caulking or any other watertight sealing compound. Locatedcentrally in each of the channels and Z7 are roller guide ribs 26a and27a which guide grooved rollers 31 and 32 rotatable about a horizontalaxis.

Preferably, the doors lil and ll have rollers Sla and 32a, respectivelwhich may be of nylon and loosely engage in the related channels 2e and27 of the upper track, such rollers being rotatable about vertical axes.These rollers, as shown in FG. 2, have diameters greater than the thiltness of the door frames 2.@ so that the latter are held out offrictional contact with the surfaces of the depending walls 23, Z4 and25 and resistance to sliding of the doors is thereby minimized.

The bottom traclt 17 embodying the present invention has a proiile orcross-sectional configuration that is best seen in llG. 2 and includesspaced apart, parallel vertical side walls 33 and 3d which, at theirlower edge portions, diverge or ilare away from each other to form wings3S and 36, respectively. A bottom wall 37 extends laterally etween theside walls 33 and 34 immediately above the wings 35' and 36 and, asshown, slopes or inclines downwardly from the outer side wall 33 to theinner side wall 34. Flanges 3S and 3E? extend laterally toward eachother from the internal surfaces of side walls 33 and 34, respectively,and are spaced upwardly from the bottom wall 37. The llanges 38 and 39have widths that are substantially less than one half the distancebetween the side walls, and the spaced free edges of the i'langes areturned upwardly to denne rails, as at 4i) and 4l. The doors l) and llhave grooved support rollers l2 and d3 rotatably mounted in the lowerportions of their respective frames 2? and projecting downwardly fromthe latter to ride on the rails d@ and 41, respectively, thereby tofacilitate the sliding movement of the doors l@ and El. The rollers 42and 43 may also be of nylon to reduce the noise of operation and toavoid the necessity of providing a lubricant. The doors lil and l1 mayalso have rollers 4f:- and i5 which are similar to upper rollers la and33a and prevent frictional contact between walls 33 and 3d and doors 1t)and 11 thereby facilitating sliding of doors and ll.

In mounting the lower traclr 7 on the outer longitudinal edge of abathtub l2, the rim of the tub may extend between me wings 35 and 3:3,as sh wn in FlG. 2, with the remainder of the space under the bottomwall 37 being filled by a suitable caullo'ng, or other watertight,compound. Vvhere the lower track i7 is to be mounted on a tub having awide, ilat rim, or on the sill or a stall or compartment shower, thelower edges or the wings 35 and 36 may rest upon the bat-.tub rim orsill and the entire space under the bottom wall 357 and between thewings may be filled with a caullcing compound.

End frame members lli and l? have spaced inwardly directed channels 46and @7, which receive the ends of doors i() and l1 and are formed byinwardly directed walls t?, 51, and 52 which are connected by end web53. Outwardly directed walls S4 and 55' extend from end web 53 and arereceived in channel member 55. This construction permits to adjustmentof the end frame members lS and 19 inwardly and outwardly so that thesame size doors can be used for shower enclosures having various widths.After proper adjustment of end frame members i3 and 19, the elementsthereof are lixed against further relative movement by screws or thelike in a manner which will be obvious to one skilled in the art.Channel member 46 can be suitably secured to the side walls 14 and 15,as by caulking or the like.

In order to provide a construction for sealing the inside of the showerenclosure against fluid leakage when doors lil and l1 are closed,integral llange portions 57 are formed on the frames 2li which have anintegral, continuous, U-shaped holding member 58 formed on the innersurface of each llange portion adjacent the free end thereof. The sealis provided by sealing means 59, carried in the U-shaped holding member,which engages walls 50 and 52 on the end frame members i8 and 19 whenthe doors are closed and which engages walls 23, 24 of upper track i6and walls 33, 3d of lower track 17 at all times. Thus, it is obviousthat this construction provides a complete seal at the top, bottom andends of the opening in the shower enclosure when the doors are closed.In order to prevent leakage between the two doors where they overlap,sealing means carried in auxiliary U-shaped holding members 6l areprovided. The sealing means 59 and 6G are best shown in FIG. 7 andinclude a metallic backing d2 having curled over edges which clamp andhold a plurality of tufts of textile material, shown generally as 63.

The doors may have towel bars 6d and 65 and either one or both doors mayhave a handle e6 connected thereto. Due to the identical constructionor" the top and bottom of the doors and the sliding means carriedthereby, it is obvious that if it is desired to permit their use withboth lett and right hand shower arrangements all that is necessary is toturn the doors upside down without any necessity for relocation of thetowel bars and handle.

Referring next to FlGS. 4, 5 and 6, the use of appli- Vcants inventiveconcept for a hinged door type of shower enclosure. Walls i3, 14 and l5denne, together with the floor a shower compartment having one open sidewhich is adapted to be closed by hinged door 67, hinged as by piano typehinge d. The outer frame between the door and the walls includes top andbottom members 69 and 7d and end wall members 7 il and 72. In this form,members dit, 7l?, 7l and 72 are all identical in construction andinclude a U-shaped member 73 having an inwardly directed ange 74integrally formed on its rear edge. Member 73 is adjustably held inU-shaped element 75 secured to the related wall by caulking or the like.After adjustment, member 73 and element 75' are fixed against relativemovement, as by screws.

Door 67 includes a glass panel held at its edges in a frame 76 whichincludes an integral U-shaped holding member 77 and sealing means 7S,which when the door is closed engages flange 74 to prevet lluid leakagefrom inside the shower compartment. Sealing means 73 is also of the typeshown in FlG. 7 and described above. A rotatable handle 79 having latchmeans En which engages a portion or flange 7 fr may also be provided.

Although particular embodiments oi the invention have been described indetail herein and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to those particularembodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be ellectedwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, except asdeliried in die appended claims.

l claim:

l. ln a shower enclosure, parallel, spaced, horizontal, channel-shapedtrack-supporting means arranged in opposed relation; parallel, spaced,vertical, channel-shaped means arranged in opposed relation and formingan enclosure with said horizontal means; parallel, spaced sliding doorpanels mounted in said track-supporting means; and frame means alongeach edge of each of said sliding door panels, each frame meanscomprising a unitary struc` ture including transversely aligned,coextensive, reversely arranged, integrally connected, channel-shapedmeans, one ot said reversely arranged channel-shaped means being adaptedto receive said door panel, and the other having ixed to an unexposedsurface thereof a sealing means throughout its entire extent adapted tocooperate with said channel-shaped track-supporting means.

2. ln a shower enclosure, parallel, spaced, horizontal, channel-shapedtrack-supporting means arranged in opposed relation; parallel, spaced,vertical, channel-shaped means arranged in opposed relation and formingan enclosure with said horizontal means; parallel, spaced sliding doorpanels mounted in said track-supporting means; adjustable,channel-shaped uprights mounted within said vertical members, eachhaving ange means for i-- ing pockets for the reception or said slidingdoor panels at each end of said enclosure; and frame means along eachedge of each of said sliding door panels, each frame means comprising aunitary structure including transversely aligned, coextensive, reverselyarranged, integrally connected, channel-shaped means, one of saidreversely arranged channel-shaped means being adapted to receive saiddoor panel, and the other having xed to an unexposed surface thereof asealing means throughout its entire extent adapted to cooperate withsaid channelshaped track-supporting means.

3. in a shower enclosure, parallel, spaced, horizontal, channel-shapedtrack-supporting means arranged in opposed relation; parallel, spaced,vertical, channel-shaped means arranged in opposed relation and formingan enclosure with said horizontal means; parallel, spaced sliding doorpanels mounted in said track-supporting means; frame means along each ofthree adjacent edges of each of said sliding door panels, each framemeans comprising a unitary structure including transversely aligned,coextensive, reversely arranged, integrally connected, channel-shapedmeans, one of said reversely arranged channel-shaped means being adaptedto receive said door panel, and the other having fixed to an unexposedsurface thereof a sealing means throughout its entire extent adapted tocooperate with said channelshaped track-supporting means; and similarframe means along the fourth edge of each of said door panels, havingsealing means along the entire extent of each of said reverselyarranged, channel-shaped means.

4. 1n a shower enclosure, parallel, spaced, horizontal, channel-shapedtrack-supporting means arranged in opposed relation; parallel, spaced,vertical, channel-shaped means arranged in opposed relation and formingan enclosure with said horizontal means; parallel, spaced sliding doorpanels mounted in said track-supporting means; frame means alonfy eachedge of each of said sliding door panels, each frame means comprising aunitary structure including transversely aligned, coextensive, reverselyarranged, integrally connected, channelshaped means, one of saidreversely arranged, channelshaped means being adapted to receive saiddoor panel, and the other having xed to an unexposed surface thereof asealing means throughout its entire extent adapted to cooperate withsaid channel-shaped tracksupporting means; and separate roller meansadapted to rotate in horizontal and vertical planes, said roller meansbeing mounted on certain of said frame means for cooperation With saidhorizontal track-supporting means.

5. In a shower enclosure, parallel, spaced, horizontal, channel-shapedtrack-supporting means arranged in opposed relation; parallel, spaced,vertical, channel-shaped means arranged in opposed relation and formingan enclosure with said horizontal means; parallel, spaced sliding doorpanels mounted in said track-supporting means; frame means along each ofthree adjacent edges of each of said sliding door panels, each framemeans comprising a unitary structure including transversely aligned,coextensive, reversely arranged, integrally connected, channel-shapedmeans, one of said reversely arranged channel-shaped means being adaptedto receive said door panel, and the other having fixed to an unexposedsurface thereof a sealing means throughout its entire extent adapted tocooperate with said channelshaped track-supporting means; similar framemeans along the fourth edge of each of said door panels, having sealingmeans along the entire extent of each of said reversely arrangedchannel-shaped means; and separate roller means adapted to rotate inhorizontal and vertical planes, said roller means being mounted oncertain of said frame means for cooperation with said horizontaltrack-supporting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS1,919,393 Reinhardt uly 25, 1933 2,021,290 Chambers Nov. 19, 19352,090,349 Grady Aug. 17, 1937 2,595,506 Backman May 6, 1952 2,627,092Grossman Feb. 3, 1953 2,799,063 Miller July 16, 1957 2,807,058 Morganept. 24, 1957 2,835,934 Franzblau et al. May 27, 1958 2,909,802 Gang etal. Oct. 27, 1959 2,917,792 Franzhlau et al. Dee. 22, 1959 2,918,708Sharp et al Dec. 29, 1959 2,952,883 Kessler et al Sept. 20, 1960 FOREIGNPATENTS 814,372 Great Britain June 3, 1959

1. IN A SHOWER ENCLOSURE, PARALLE, SPACED, HORIZONTAL, CHANNEL-SHAPEDTRACK-SUPPORTING MEANS ARRANGED IN OPPOSED RELATION; PARALLEL, SPACED,VERTICAL, CHANNEL-SHAPED MEANS ARRANGED IN OPPOSED RELATION AND FORMINGAN ENCLOSURE WITH SAID HORIZONTAL MEANS; PARALLEL, SPACED SLIDING DOORPANELS MOUNTED IN SAID TRACK-SUPPORTING MEANS; AND FRAME MEANS ALONGEACH EDGE OF EACH OF SAID SLIDING DOOR PANELS, EACH FRAME MEANSCOMPRISING A UNITARY STRUCTURE INCLUDING TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED,COEXTENSIVE, REVERSELY ARRANGED, INTEGRALLY CONNECTED, CHANNEL-SHAPEDMEANS, ONE OF SAID REVERSELY ARRANGED CHANNEL-SHAPED MEANS BEING ADAPTEDTO RECEIVE SAID DOOR PANEL, AND THE OTHER HAVING FIXED TO AN UNEXPOSEDSURFACE THEREOF A SEALING MEANS THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRE EXTENT ADAPTED TOCOOPERATE WITH SAID CHANNEL-SHAPED TRACK-SUPPORTING MEANS.